By Mihir Bose,
Things are moving at Blackburn although not in the way that will please their less than happy supporters.
It seems Jerome Andersen, the football agent, who was constantly at the side of Venkys when they bought the club a year ago is no longer the supreme adviser the Indian owners always consult. Indeed they have extended their net of advisers to also talk quite often to Pini Zahavi, the Israeli who is always described as the world’s most important football agent.
A simple reading of this would suggest that this must mean a change of manager. Surely with Zahavi, imparting his particular football wisdom, and all the many friends he can offer as managers, this must mean change is inevitable. Steve Kean’s days are surely numbered.
That does not follow. That would be too simplistic a reading of the situation. It is one thing giving advice, it is quite another accepting it.
And that is one of the fundamental problems with Venkys. It is not sure who is pulling in which direction in their boardroom. Anuradha Desai, who heads the company, and runs it with her two brothers, has long been a Kean fan. She may have confessed at the take over that she knew nothing about football but she played a major role in getting rid of Sam Allardyce and installing Kean.
I am told she is still not convinced that Kean should go. This may explain why the Blackburn manager, despite the abysmal results, can sound so defiant that he would not get the sack.
However, her two brothers it would seem do not share her enthusiasm for Kean and have canvassed many other options. Mark Hughes has been mentioned but others have also been considered. For the moment the lady is not for turning and with the board split three ways it is difficult to see how there can be a quick resolution. This is despite the growing realisation that something needs to be done and done quickly if the club’s position, almost beyond repair, does not become terminal.
The Venkys are pictured in happier times at Blackburn
It is clear the Venkys bought Blackburn because they saw Premier League football, which is enormously popular in India, as a way of making their name known beyond the subcontinent. As a business they have global ambitions and association with a brand such as the Premier League was seen as just the ticket.
Now that may not be quite such an unworthy a thought as some football supporters may think. There are other foreign owners of English clubs who have had similar thoughts. But the successful ones like Chelsea and Manchester City have not only spent huge sums of money, but as they have ventured into England they have made sure they are well advised on football.
The Venkys have done neither. Having a club as a trophy asset also carries an obligation of looking after it. So far the Venkys have failed on that score. Now the Venkys may think it does not matter. This is football and not business. But the Venkys are acquiring a reputation for being clueless managers and that can do their business reputation no good. A year ago they were unknown outside India and not much known abroad. Now they are ridiculed as people who cannot manage a football club in the north of England.
That is the sort of mud that sticks. Unless they act quickly and decisively they may find it difficult to remove the stains. Their failure in football will ultimately reflect on their ability to run the poultry business.
Follow Mihir on Twitter @mihirbose